A quick bite at Taboon

For Dad's last meal in town, we stayed local. Up 10th Avenue we went to Taboon, one of my local favorites and a place I hadn't visited in a couple of months.

Neither of us was very hungry, but it was pre-theater and we had to eat, so we stuck with appetizers for both of us. First, of course, came a gratis plate of their intoxicating flatbread, as good as ever.

Some of the best in the city

And then, for dad, came the Kube, a bulgur wheat croquette filled with skirt steak and a bunch of seasonings, all sitting in a pool of eggplant tzaziki. It was small but filling, and Dad enjoyed it.

Is Lady Gaga inside?

My choice was the beet and pear salad, with a leaf or two of arugula and some oil-soaked walnuts. I had requested goat cheese rather than the included blue cheese, and a small ramekin of about a half ounce of goat cheese semicircles came on the side. Overall, the salad was okay, not the best I've ever gotten at Taboon; without the cheese mixed into the salad, and with the combined effect of the beets and the crunchy pear cubes, the overall impression was a bit too sweet. Ah well, next time I'll stick with my tried-and-true zucchini cakes.

Pretty

And that was that. I'm still a huge Taboon fan, and I'll be back soon to try my old favorites.

Taboon
773 Tenth Avenue, at 52nd Street
212-713-0271

A bite or two at Taboon

A few weeks ago, AC and I celebrated her last day at work with a low-key dinner at Taboon. We were early so easily snagged an outdoor seat on 10th Avenue, taking advantage of the mercifully lower humidity and moderate temperatures to eat and people-watch.

As always, we started with Taboon's fantastic, fantastic bread. AC had ordered hummus as her meal, which arrived with the bread. The hummus was quite good, creamy and adorned with some yogurt and some spiced oil (paprika? cumin?) and a few chickpeas for good measure.

Stellar as always

It's almost hypnotic...

I got the zucchini cakes, as always, easy on the oil. These were fantastic-- flavorful and hearty and surprisingly filling for their small portion. I always wish for more yogurt; the tiny splotch they provide is always just a tease.

Tasty little cakes

Service was friendly, as usual, and they let us linger for as long as we wanted. So we did, picking at the bread, people-watching, and catching up. It was perfect.

Taboon
773 Tenth Avenue, at 52nd Street
212-713-0271

Further excellence at Taboon

You know those places that keep getting better each time you go? I'm beginning to think that Taboon is one of them. I've written glowing words about the fresh, simple, excellent food at Taboon a few times before, and this review will be no different. AV and I popped by for an early dinner last Friday evening, and Taboon delivered its goodies in spades.

As always, we began with their complimentary loaf of warm, house-made flat(ish) bread. This time around the bread was the best I've ever had there-- piping hot from the oven, lightly slicked with oil and sprinkled with salt and herbs, pull-apart stretchy on the inside and crusty on the outside. It pretty much doesn't get much better than this, especially when you pair it with an order of tzaziki, as we did. We contemplated asking for a vat of this dish-lickingly addictive yogurt-based concoction, diving in with two spoon-ended slushee straws, and gorging ourself silly on the ambrosial dip. As it was, we practically battled for the last bits of this modest portion.

A dynamic duo

Between us, we ordered my two favorite dishes on the menu. AV went for the haloumi salad, featuring that incredible tooth-squeaking cheese, grilled to add a bit of crust and chopped into bite-sized bits. The tomato, cucumber, red onion, and shaved fennel added a vegetal counterpoint to the cheese, and the whole mixture was brought together with a mouth-puckering vinaigrette.

Twist on the traditional Greek salad

I went for the zucchini cakes. Break though the light pan-fried crust to reach the creamy insides, a mixture of feta cheese, zucchini, and herbs and spices. I supplemented the small smear of yogurt with more tzaziki. There's no other word for this flavorful appetizer than excellent. Simply excellent.

Zucchini beauties

We had other designs on dessert this time around, so we ended our light meal there. Every time I go to Taboon, I vow to go back again soon. The food is simple but perfectly prepared, full of those signature Mediterranean ingredients that are filling but leave you feeling lively and healthy. If you're a fan of Greek, Turkish, or any other Mediterranean cuisine, you'd do yourself a disservice not to give Taboon a try. It's one of the city's best hidden gems.

Taboon
773 Tenth Avenue, at 52nd Street
212-713-0271

Back to Taboon, and equally delighted

My mom was in town for business this week, so as she tends to do, she graciously offered to meet up for dinner. I was feeling a little bit under the weather, so we ended up staying close to my nest. That meant we were treated to a delicious meal at a place I've been meaning to return to for a while: Taboon.

We arrived pretty darn early in the evening, so we were shown directly to an empty table by the window (it's worth noting that the place filled up by the time we left, though, which is impressive for a Sunday night in far west Hell's Kitchen). Our server was friendly and charming but prone to up-selling, which always gets on my nerves. Nonetheless, we made our decisions and were promptly rewarded with a plank of their outstanding bread, brushed with olive oil and fresh out of the oven. Gosh this bread is spectacular-- with a crunch crust deeply flavored with the herbs and the oil and a soft, yielding interior. Last time, AV had ordered tzaziki with the bread, which was a great addition-- I yearned for a bit of dip this time around.

Simply smashing

But we had more food coming, so never fear. In preparation for a potential dessert course, both Mom and I ordered in a rather restrained fashion. Her choice was the branzino, a whole fish served with rosemary, cauliflower, asparagus, and tahini. To say she enjoyed the fish would be an understatement; to say she picked the bones clean would be closer to the truth. Girl likes her fish.

Simply Mediterranean

Though I really loved the Haloumi salad last time, I wasn't spectacularly hungry, so I decided to take a gamble on the zucchini cake appetizer this time around. Our server promised me the cakes weren't leaden despite the fact that they were "pan fried" (usually code for crispy and delicious but sodden with oil), and she was actually right. These cakes were small, plump disks of highly flavored vegetable, herb, and cheese mixture-- the feta made the mixture nicely creamy, the crust was crisp but not over-fried, and the whole thing was strangely delicate. The side of yogurt was such a perfect complement that I only wished they had provided about twice as much. I find that as often as not my menu gambles don't pay off, but this one truly did. I was in heaven.

Oh so yummmm

But of course we were both just biding our time until dessert. Mom went with the chocolate lava cake with chocolate syrup and no ice cream (it usually comes with a scoop of Turkish coffee ice cream). I had a bite or two and it was incredibly rich, a pure and fudgy form of chocolate. The fact that Mom was able to polish this puppy off without the aid of ice cream or whipped cream to cut the richness was impressive.

Chocolate on chocolate

My dessert selection was the "silan," which was basically a Mediterranean ice cream sundae. A base of vanilla ice cream was adorned with caramelized rice krispies, date honey, caramelized pistachios, and a shower of shredded hair-like halva. It was great-- light and sweet while subtly rich.

All you see is the hair here

So, Taboon, you've done it again. With an inviting and serene dining room, a location close to home (but, let's be honest, far from everything else), and spectacular (though somewhat pricey) food, Taboon is the quintessential four Offset Spatula restaurant. If only it were just ever so slightly cheaper, I'd be back night after night. In the meantime... thanks Mom!

Taboon
773 Tenth Avenue, at 52nd Street
212-713-0271

Haloumi dreams at Taboon

Ever since I moved to the far western reaches of Hell's Kitchen, I've wanted to eat at Taboon, a Mediterranean restaurant on 10th Avenue. But for some reason, I've never made it-- until now. AV and I were looking for a hearty meal before a night out, and fortunately Taboon had last-minute availability... at an outdoor table, no less. So we skipped the few blocks to Taboon for some delicious, delicious food.

We walked through the very Greek-looking, airy dining room, past the searingly hot wood-burning oven, through the door to their sidewalk tables. It was a tremendously beautiful night, and we enjoyed watching the scenic traffic on 10th Ave as we made our decisions. After placing our order (which didn't make our waiter very happy... read on), our first course-- the bread-- arrived.

The bread at Taboon is something quite special. It's a long loaf of puffy flat-ish bread, brushed with olive oil and spotted with rosemary, delivered freshly baked and piping hot. The fragrance is almost intoxicating, and the combination of the airy, warm interior and the crackly, substantial bottom crust (from being baked on the wood-burning oven) was spectacular. We had ordered a side of tzaziki, a yogurt-based dip, which we slathered all over the bread. And then ate plain off our knives. And forks. And fingers. Um, it was good.

Best in a long time

Soon our entrees arrived. And by entrees I mean appetizers-- we had both ordered apps (and no booze, in anticipation of the drinking to come later that night), which was the cause of our waiter's visible displeasure. AV had selected the Sea Scallops, which came with "Kaffir lime butter infusion, crisp parmesan over canellini bean puree." It was visually pretty and also, according to AV, very tasty. I tried a small dip of the puree and it was indeed enjoyable.

Pale and lovely

My own selection was the haloumi salad. Let it be said right here and now that I love haloumi cheese. There's a good haloumi salad at Pera, which I've had a few times. But this dish satisfied my craving and then some. Small dices of delicious seared haloumi were scattered atop a dish of tomato, cucumber, fennel, onion, green pepper, kalamata olives, and oregano. There was a light lemony dressing lubricating the whole mixture. I gobbled up all the veggies and the cheese, and I used some of the cucumber rounds to scoop up the remaining tzaziki. Rarely has a salad left me that satisfied.

Oh, haloumi, how you haunt my dreams

Without question, the food at Taboon was top-notch. The service wasn't quite so refined; after we declined dessert, our server tried repeatedly to push add-ons (coffee? tea??). Sorry dude, I know we weren't doing much for your bottom line, but give us a break. Regardless, I would most certainly go back... I'll be dreaming of that haloumi for a long, long time. Taboon earns four Offset Spatulas with ease.

Taboon
773 Tenth Avenue, at 52nd Street
212-713-0271